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Complaint 0 of 0 in "Claim Denied or Delayed"

Insurance Carrier: Farmer's Mutual
State: Tennessee

Consumer Complaint:

I called my agent and a roofing contractor the same day. The contractor replaced my roof the next day, after I accepted the bid. My adjuster came by about 2 weeks later and since the roof was already installed, I gave him the contractor's name and phone number which he called and talked to them about the damage and repair cost. The adjuster called me back and said he was going to turn in a claim for $1,590.00, even though the roof cost $3,985.00 to replace. Two months went by and I called my agent to learn they were turning me down due to the roof being replaced before the adjuster saw the damage. I e-mailed the adjuster a picture of the damaged roof when I came home and found the contractor had started the job. I had numerous shingles off due to a storm that claimed many houses that day, and had to make repairs ASAP to save structural damage. My agent said my claim was minimal compared to others in the area. Please do what you can. I have had this insurance for 20 years and don't deserve this treatment. Thanks.

Insurance Expert Answer:

As a long time customer, it would seem you deserved far better treatment than you were given.

Clearly it is unreasonable for an insurance company to take 3 weeks to come by to check out storm damage when there are roof problems. It's also a bit unusual for a roofer to replace a roof that can be patched without authorization. (That makes me suspicious.)

My sense is that the roof was in need of repair BEFORE the storm damage, and that the storm damage just accelerated the timing of the repair. The fact you were a 20-year customer suggests the roof may have been that old too.

An ill wind from a storm that blows some tiles off should not get you a whole brand new roof. But between a whole new roof and zero leaves a lot of room for negotiation.

I suggest that you write to the CEO of the insurance company, explain what happened, and state that as a long time customer you are being treated unfairly. That's step one.

This matter is far too small and factually intensive for a lawyer to be involved with.